The Catarina Chronicles
by keiththepaladin
Summary: A powerful warlock like Catarina Loss deserves to have her own story told, right? And what a tragedy it is indeed.
1. A Daughter's Loss

There weren't many things the young girl could think about as she hid. She had to try and keep herself distracted, or they would know she was there. And that would mean the end. The end of what? Her freedom? Her life? She didn't want to find out.

At eight years of age, the girl's personality was almost as strange as her cerulean skin-tone. 'An old soul in a young body,' her mother would always say to her.

And oh how the girl adored her mother. She had many strong memories of whispering after dark, her mother telling her of the most wonderful tales. The girl's favourite was about the princess with long blonde hair, who was trapped in a stone tower. And her mother told that story so well, it couldn't be replicated. One day, the girl wanted to find her own prince, and stone tower to go with it.

These types of thoughts were the ones that kept the girl composed as she hid beneath her mother's floorboard. Hoping, praying, nothing bad would happen. That she wouldn't leave her mother.

But tonight was different. Tonight, they knocked. It was the sound that was constantly dreaded by both females.

She took one last shuddering breath, as she heard her mother make her way across the house to open the door. She had to listen to the conversation to come.

"Good evening, gentlemen. Can I help you?" Her mother's soft voice had instant calming effects. The girl felt as though she could breathe again.

"Routine patrols, Madame." His voice was dark, unforgiving. "Name?"

"Catarina Vasiliev," her mother said, her voice strong. "This is the first patrol to come here, can I ask why?"

"I'm sorry, Ms Vasiliev, it's private. Do you live alone?" The question of dread. The girl knew she would have cracked, if it were her being questioned. Luckily, her mother was a stronger woman.

"Yes, of course."

"Then you wouldn't mind if we looked around." The tears starting welling up in the young girl's eyes. She knew what would happen when they found her. They'd kill her. The girl could only think of herself. Her own survival. That couldn't even be assured. Up the girl had ken final prayer, it was to live.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen, I was not prepared. I'll have to say I would mind. Have a lovely evening."

The girl knew her mother was a strong woman, but she had no idea she would go to such lengths for her. Lengths, and foolishness.

"We will use force if the situation calls for it." The girl was not sure what her mother did in that moment, but all she would remember as she lived on her life was her mother's gut-wrenching scream. It was the worst sound a girl would ever have to hear.

It made the girl numb. She had no feeling left in her. She heard the man leave, but she couldn't will herself to move. She didn't want to see, she was afraid.

And she hated herself. How selfish she must have been to only be thinking of herself? Her mother was the one to pay the price of her daughter's existence. The girl wouldn't let herself be selfish again. She wanted to be more like her mother, selfless beyond belief.

It was many hours later when she finally got up. The girl hadn't cried, the numbness in her heart wouldn't allow her. She slowly crawled from her hiding spot.

And that's when she saw her mother. Her strong, beautiful mother, lying limp and pale one the cold ground. There was a pool of deep red liquid around her.

The girl couldn't hide her emotions any longer. It felt as though her heart was being crushed into a thousand pieces. Her mother was her whole world, and now she was gone. Her world had ended.

She fell down onto the floor, clawing at her chest, right where the pain was. It was too much to bear. She wanted to make it stop. She would have given anything. A ragged sob escaped her mouth. Followed be many more.

She crawled over to her mother, and held her close. She didn't even think about the blood soaking her. She wouldn't have cared. She wanted to feel her mother's warmth once more. But all that was left was cold. There wasn't any happiness left.

After many hours of sobbing, and begging her mother to come back, the sun started to rise. The girl didn't want to leave, but they would come back for her mother's body, she had to be gone by then.

That was the logical side of the girl, she didn't want her mother's sacrifice to be for nothing. There wouldn't have been a point if she got caught.

She had to tear herself away from her mother. She gave her a final kiss icon the forehead, a tear dripping on her mother's face in the process. Then she took one final glance at her home, and ran.

She needed to escape this town. To escape the recent memories, and to create new and better ones. She didn't know where she was going, but she'd try to find a place she belonged.

And she never wanted to look back.


	2. A Loss with a Gain

For someone who was supposedly immortal, the girl wasn't going to live very long. She had barely reached eighteen years of age. And somehow, they knew.

Of course, however, this was a dangerous time for all. With many people being trialed for witchcraft daily, she should have known her time would have come soon.

The girl had tried her best to remain quiet and live a somewhat peaceful life in the village she had found. She didn't plan to stay long, anyway. She never stayed for too long in one spot. But this time was different. Someone had suspected, despite the fact that she was always glamoured. Never giving any hints that she was anything apart from normal.

She sighed, looking through the bars of her cell. It was dark outside. She knew what would happen when the sun risen. She had accepted it as well. Whatever death would come upon her, she'd take it.

Reflecting on her life, she had not yet accomplished much. She had loved and lost, and moved from place to place. She had nothing to be attached to, nothing to ground her, and perhaps that was why she only felt numbness now. She wouldn't miss anything, and nothing would miss her either.

Perhaps the only worthwhile thing the girl had accomplished in her life was finding out that she had a skill that she could apply with magic. She could heal people. It was like a second-nature to her, nothing hard about it at all. She hadn't even had enough time to help many with her powers. Only the occasional child she had met upon her travels, with a skinned knee or something similar. She wondered how far her powers could go, or what her potential was.

But it wasn't meant to be. Her life was being cut short by some misfortune, and all she could do was sit and wait.

She could have escaped if she wished to, she knew that. It would only take a flick of her wrist. But even if she got out, where would she go? News would travel, it would only get worse for her. And she wasn't even sure she had that much control of her powers yet to do such thing. With minimal practice, it could have gone wrong.

So the girl took in a deep breath of the crisp, night air and laid back to look at the stars. She wanted to spend her night like that, opposed to thinking of all the "what if's". She wanted to spend it looking at something worthwhile.

It was morning when the people started emerging from their homes. The knowledge of her trial had spread, she knew what was coming. A guilty sentence, and death. And that was only if they went through her trial in a fair manner, which usually never happened. Almost everyone was being declared guilty these days.

Then the officials came. They yanked her from her imprisonment. She didn't bother fighting back, it was pointless. She was just going to make life easier for them all.

Before the girl knew it, she was being pulled into the village's small square, and forced down onto her knees. She complied. A voice rang out from behind her. She couldn't see them, for they were behind her, but it was deep and dark. It was almost familiar.

"The young woman here today has been found guilty for performing witchcraft," she wasn't going to get a trial, but a part of her had already guessed that. "And so she will be executed. Burnt at the stake." None of what she had heard came as a surprise, she knew she was going to die, and she knew it was going to be painful. All she could do was try to bear it.

And just when more people were coming towards her, the most incredible thing happened. Never in her life had she seen anything like it before. Everyone just froze. Their unblinking faces staring at her were unnerving. She could still had the ability to move. The girl knew she hadn't done this, even by accident. She took a deep, shuddering breath before getting to her feet. She quickly glanced around the crowded square. And then she laid eyes on them. There were two men standing towards the very back, and they were definitely whispering to each other. She could see their lips moving, despite the fact that the rest of their aces were covered by hoods. And she could almost have sworn one of them were green. Though, it may just be the light and distance playing a trick on her. She didn't have anything to lose.

"Hello?" she called across the square. Instantly, two pairs of eyes turned upon her. The first man was definitely green, she could see that clearly now. Perhaps he was like her. That thought excited the girl. Maybe she wasn't the only anomaly out there. Before she could even comprehend what was happening, the men started moving towards her.

She didn't know whether to be scared of them or not. They had just saved her life, she should have been grateful. And she was, but why would they have done it? She could only wait for them to approach her and find out.

In no time at all, they were directly in front of her, and she got her first good look at them. The first man was definitely green, with a tuft of white hair with horns sticking out of his forehead. The second man was slightly shorter, with tanned skin, black hair, and piercing amber eyes, like those of a cat. They were mesmerizing to look at. His voice broke her out of the trance.

"Are you okay?" It took her a few seconds to register he was talking to her. It felt like forever since someone last asked her that. And was she okay? She didn't quite know the answer to that.

"I'm fine, thank you." It was her instant response. She wasn't going to let them think she was anything besides strong.

"Are you really a witch?" The green one seemed to blurt out, as though he had been holding it in before that. The cat-eyed one shot him an irritated glare. The girl wasn't sure about any other ways to prove her magic by stripping away her glamour. She didn't even hesitate to do so. She stood before them, bright blue, in a ripped dress. She was almost certain she looked like a mess.

She heard them both gasp, they hadn't expected her to do that.

"See, Ragnor? I told you she was a warlock!" So that was the green ones name. _Ragnor_. So the name for their kind was warlocks, it was the first time she had ever heard the word in that context. The cat-eyed man turned back to her. "I'm being terribly rude. I'm Magnus Bane, and this is my companion, Ragnor Fell. We're both warlocks, just like you." Magnus. Latin for big, or grand. And they were just like her. She wasn't alone. "And your name would be?"

The girl didn't know how to admit she had never had a name. It wasn't normal. The green one- Ragnor- caught on immediately.

"You can come up with one now, if you like. It can be anything you choose." There were so many possibilities of names. But the first thing that came into the girls mind was her mother, her beautiful, strong mother. And after she thought of that, her name-choosing became much simpler.

"Catarina. Catarina Loss." The name rolled off the tip of her tongue.

"It suits you," Magnus stated, very simply. "Now, my magic can't hold all these people forever,' the trio glanced at the frozen people all around them. "So I'll suggest we get moving. And Catarina, would you do the honor of joining Ragnor and me on our fabulous adventures?" Catarina wasn't sure what he meant, but her answer was certain.

"Of course.

And for the first time in her life, Catarina Loss felt as though she finally belonged.


	3. Let the Loss Fade Away

"Come on Catarina, dance a little. At least pretend to look like you want to be here!" One of her friends, Magnus, was trying to convince her to have some fun at one of his infamous parties. It was unlikely to happen. She threw him her most sarcastic smile, before standing up, and making her way outside. She didn't have to look back to know the facial expression her friend was pulling at her.

She left the crowded room to go sit in the gardens. They were beautiful, dimly lit by candles and lanterns, giving off a soft, comforting light. Parties had never been Catarina's scene, but her presence at them made Magnus happy. She always wanted to make her friends happy.

A small, wooden bench looked incredibly inviting on the other side of the breathtaking garden. She smiled, spotting her escape.

As soon as she sat down, she had hoped she could find peace, even if it be for only a half hour. Alas, she was wrong. She heard the voice before she saw the person. His voice was smooth, and very soft. And unfamiliar.

"What is a beautiful girl doing out here by herself at one of Magnus Bane's famous parties?" Catarina instantly tensed up. All she really wanted was to be alone. Whoever this man was, she wanted him to leave. She could just tell that he was already going to frustrate her beyond belief.

Without turning around to face him, she calmly said "Trying to avoid the irritating party-goers, quite like you." She was not in the mood to deal with frustrating people.

"I hate to break this to you, but you're at the party yourself. Doesn't that make you an irritating party-goer as well?" She could hear the smile in his voice. He was going out of his way to frustrate her, and she did not like it.

"On the contrary-" All the words escaped her head as she turned around. The man looked nothing like she had expected. He was tall, had slicked back white hair, a colour much like her own, and the most mesmerising purple eyes. She had to admit, he was attractive. She'd have to try and ignore that fact, it just made him even more irritating, if that was possible.

The man raised an eyebrow at her, the knowing smirk never leaving his face.

"I don't know what you're smiling at, to be honest with you. You're acting like you've already won something. Which, in fact, did not and will not happen." Catarina said, trying to sound as harsh and cruel as possible. The man didn't fall for it.

"Won, you say? Fine, this is a competition now. You see, I dislike losing. And I refuse to do so. I'm going to make you laugh and consequently have a good time, if it's the last thing I do." The comment took Catarina by surprise. She was considering smiling, in the hopes that he'll leave if she did. But that would mean his victory, something she could not afford.

"Fine then, I do doubt, however, you'll be able to make me smile, let alone laugh. And it will be the last thing you do. When I'm smiling, it'll mean that you're probably dead." Catarina no longer cared how hurtful her words are, she wished to discourage him. It didn't even appear to impact him. He just smiled wider.

"I think introductions are in order, my name is Malcolm Fade, can I ask yours?" The name suited him, she thought.

"Catarina Loss"

"Well, Miss Loss, can I show you something?" Catarina sighed, she knew what would happen if she refused.

"Fine then" as she got up off the bench, he grabbed her hand, and started running. And in turn, she had to run as well. That was not easy in a dress. She was definitely not impressed. Perhaps she would have to kill Malcolm Fade.

When they finally reached their destination, wherever that may be, she looked at Malcolm with a glare of steel. He smiled at her again, something he seemed to do much, and then gestured around him with his hands.

"What do you think?" She looked around, and saw nothing special. Only a tall, stone building. It reminded Catarina of the tower in the story of Rapunzel. The thought made her dizzy, she had to hold herself together. She would not tear up on front of an absolute stranger. She quickly composed herself, and looked back up at Malcolm.

"We're in the middle of nowhere, with a huge pile of bricks, and I'm absolutely exhausted. Was this the point of this visit?" Catarina was beyond frustrated. Malcolm disregarded her words, and beckoned her to follow him, as he walked towards the tower.

For what felt like the millionth time that evening, she sighed. She really didn't have any options. Be miserable with a stranger in the middle of nowhere, or be miserable at a party. She followed Malcolm as he made his way into the tower. The door was unlocked for some odd reason. She didn't feel uncomfortable with Malcolm for some reason, not that she'd admit that to him. She didn't feel unsafe in his presence, despite being alone, late at night, and being almost-strangers. It was such a strange feeling. She tried her best to ignore it.

As she entered the tower, she noticed how dark it was inside. She could just see Malcolm's outline.

"Mr Fade, this seems completely pointless." Catarina was getting tired of these antics. She wanted to go back to her cosy apartment. But alas, she was stuck in a dark tower, with an odd warlock.

"I promise you now, Miss Loss, that there was a point to this. You'll like it! Now come on!" She rolled her eyes, before taking Malcolm's hand again, and letting him lead her across the room. She ended up standing before a grand. Stone staircase, that seemed to spiral upwards into more darkness.

Malcolm threw her another grin before running up the staircase, her hand still in his. He slowed down about halfway up through the ascent, and looked over at her.

"You're going to love this!" He did seem very certain of this, Catarina thought. However, she still managed to doubt the whole situation. She was becoming increasingly frustrated. The endless steps weren't helping. "We're almost there!" His excitement was rather interesting. She just followed along.

And that's when Malcolm pushed open the door, leading to a large balcony. It left Catarina speechless. The balcony overlooked the whole city of London, with a perfect, starry bought right above it. The stars appeared like diamonds in the sky, and the city glowed. She didn't think there was anywhere that this view was possible.

Slowly, she turned over to Malcolm, who was watching her, still smiling. All the pent up frustration suddenly left her. Whatever Malcolm had put her through earlier in the evening was most definitely worth it now. She was looking at the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.

"Didn't I say that you would like it?" Catarina could only nod, all words escaping her head.

"It's beautiful." She whispered, turning back towards the scenery around her.

"I'm glad you think so. Would you dance with me, Miss Loss?" Catarina was even more surprised at this question. She looked back over at Malcolm, whose violet eyes were making direct contact with her blue ones.

"Don't be ridiculous, Mr Fade! There's no music!"

"Are we having the most cliché conversation of all time?" Malcolm raised a thin eyebrow at her. She did her best to contain her smile. It appeared that they were. She rolled her eyes again, before making her way towards Malcolm Fade.

As soon as they started swaying, she let out a soft giggle. This was the last situation she imagined herself in this night. As soon as Malcolm heard her laughter, he laughed as well.

"It appears you've won, Mr Fade," Catarina stated. The terms of their competition were fair, he had made her laugh.

"See? I told you I never lose." He winked at her, before they continued to dance for the remainder of the evening, the stars shining above them.

Perhaps Catarina Loss had finally found her prince.


	4. At a Loss for Answers

**_This is late, forgive me for that! But this chapter focuses on something that took place in one of the Shadowhunter Academy stories. It has to do with the Herondale baby that Catarina adopted (Well, my take on it, anyway) But I hope you guys enjoy this!_**

* * *

Catarina didn't know how to tell Malcolm that they now had a baby. It wasn't the type of news that you'd generally greet your partner with after coming back from a business trip.

Catarina glanced down at the small bundle in her arms. She couldn't help but feel absolutely awful about all that had happened.

By the law, what Catarina was doing was wrong. But in her heart and her mind, she knew it was right.

Eva Blackthorn had willingly given up her child, and that reminded Catarina of something. The fact that a mother would do anything for her child.

During most of her trips to Idris, she had come back with something pretty. Never had she come back with a Shadowhunter child. And a Herondale at that.

As she entered the apartment she shared with Malcolm Fade, a smile crossed her face. There was nothing she could do about the events that had happened now, except making this little boy's life great. And that's exactly what she planned to do.

"Cat? Are you home?" Hearing Malcolm's voice after so many weeks of stress was like a breath of fresh air.

"Yes, I am. Keep your voice down, though." She truly didn't want to wake the baby. That would only result in more hours of screaming and crying. Catarina didn't think se could handle that.

She could hear Malcolm approaching where she stood in the main corridor. When he saw her, he smiled, his eyes lighting up, and then widening when he saw the child that was nestled in her arms.

"Um, Cat?" The confusion in his voice was more than clear.

She smiled sweetly up at him before answering "Yes, dear?"

"First of all, _dear,_ don't pull that tone with me. Second of all, what's that?" He gestured with one of his hands down to the baby she was holding.

" _He_ is Theodore."

"Okay, where did Theodore come from?"

Catarina sighed, the smile leaving her face. "I had to do it, okay? He'd be dead otherwise! That isn't fair at all!" Catarina's voice got faster and faster as she spoke, not able to control the wave of emotion inside of her.

"I know, love." Malcolm said. "I spent a day at Magnus Bane's, and he told me about Tobias Herondale and Eva Blackthorn. I'm sorry, I knew they were friends of yours, but I wasn't expecting you to adopt their son."

"That's the thing," Catarina replied, her voice trailing off.

Malcolm's eyes widened in alarm. "What thing?"

"Well," she started, "The thing about Theodore is that he's not exactly adopted." The blank look on her partner's face made her realise she had to explain. "It's more the case of Eva trusting me with her child."

"Does The Clave know?"

"No."

"You _stole_ a baby?" He said, the look of shock still not leaving his face.

"In legal terms, yes, I stole a baby. They don't know that. But you can't tell anyone, okay? It went against my personal morals to leave him."

Malcolm smiled at her again, and said "Of course. He can be our little secret." He extended his arms "Can I see him?"

Catarina made a sound of agreement, before placing Theodore in Malcolm's arms. "Just be careful, she whispered. "If he wakes up, he starts crying."

But what shocked Catarina most was that Theodore did wake up when Malcolm was holding him, but he didn't scream. Or even cry. All he did was gaze around at Malcolm and his surroundings with innocent blue eyes. Catarina felt a smile creep over her face, as she watched both boys.

"See, babies love me! He's not even crying." Catarina walked out of the corridor to go sit on the lounge. It wasn't until she was seated and relaxed that she realised how tired she had been. Malcolm sat down next to her and was still holding Theodore, who had fallen back asleep in the short time she had left him.

"What are you going to do with him? Do you know yet?"

"I decided whilst I was on my way back. I'm going to raise him until he's a certain age, and then let him discover the world for himself. And he's not going to know about Shadowhunters, or warlocks, or any part of our world. It's for the best, he'll be safer that way."

Malcolm didn't say anything, but instead wrapped his free arm around her shoulders. She rested her head against him, and enjoyed her newfound family. She knew it wouldn't last forever, and that one day things would change, but she would live in the moment while she could, and love every moment of it.


End file.
